Worrying reason behind Man Utd transfer delay revealed, with Prem switch now at risk

Man Utd trio Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire and Dean Henderson

Why a transfer between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest has been put on ice has emerged, with a late-window switch now under a cloud.

The future of Dean Henderson is a topic that has bubbled away under the surface for many a year at Old Trafford.

Now 26, Henderson craves regular game-time and that’s something he rarely got when David de Gea was at the club.

However, not even De Gea’s exit has afforded Henderson a chance to shine, with Erik ten Hag instead moving for Andre Onana who is now the club’s undisputed No 1.

Henderson has ambitions of breaking into England’s Euro 2024 squad and to achieve that aim, he must play regularly and to a high standard at club level.

Henderson shone while loaned to Nottingham Forest last term. However, a thigh injury that ultimately required surgery to correct ruled him out for the latter half of the campaign.

Forest do retain hope of re-signing Henderson to a permanent deal despite already moving for Matt Turner.

The USA international is the subject of a £10m (£7m plus £3m in add-ons) move that will soon be announced.

But according to a fresh update from the Sun, the reason Henderson remains in limbo relates to the aforementioned thigh problem.

Per the outlet, Man Utd are concerned Henderson could re-aggravate the thigh injury if put through his paces in a ‘strenuous medical’.

United don’t wish to see a transfer torpedoed due to an issue that will resolve itself given time. They also don’t want to run the risk of re-injuring one of their players by way of rushing through a transfer.

As such, the proposed move is on hold until Henderson is sufficiently recovered to the point where a medical will be risk-free.

The Sun conclude Henderson to Forest could still materialise, though it’ll be a late-window affair if it does go through.

If Henderson does depart outright, he’s expected to fetch a fee in the £20m-£25m range.

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